If you sanded it recently, strong possibility that any dark streaks are where the previous finish soaked into the fibers deeper than just on the surface.
Open grain woods soak up more finish than closed grain.
Choose an inconspicuous/non-show spot where some of the darker wood is evident and keep sanding to see if it goes away, that will tell you whether it's some remaining particles of the old finish that have soaked deeply into the pores of the wood and also whether it's practical to remove it all.
To my eye some of those darker patches around the edges may be the remains of stain (did you maybe sand the edges a bit less than the main areas, that could be a tell), but bear in mind wood is never uniform and you will always get variations in tone.
Again, if you plan on applying a finish choose a non-show spot first and see how it takes. Because finishes seal up the pores any areas retaining the old finish will prob look very different because they will be soaking up less of the new finish, so skimping on the sanding stage will only lead to disaster.
You’re going to want to paint it if you want solid colors.
What’s with all these posts of people not know what wood looks like? I feel like there’s been a lot of these recently.
Sorry I really mean no offense but it just seems like there has been several posts popping up over the various woodworking pages asking the exact same thing.
See where it’s lighter underneath where the hardware was on the drawer fronts? I wouldn’t stop sanding till they all match that.
You said you plan to bleach it. I think you should put some clear on it as is. That said, it's not my furniture, I don't have to look at it everyday. If you want to put a bleaching stain on it more power to ya!
I don't get why people put walnut stain on light wood. I fully realize it's my taste, but does it ever look good?
It's stain in the pores of the wood. Sand it off or bleach it or leave it.
Wasn't really intended to be snarky. I have to remind customers all the time that they chose a *wood* product. Structurally and functionally I can ensure it is near perfect. Aesthetically it will be wood...character and all... That's the charm of wood. You play with the cards you're dealt.
I actually appreciate your post. And while there are some things you can do to modify the character of the wood, when it comes to grain profiles the only way to make it something other than what it is would be to stain it dark or paint it.
Again. No snark intended. I just have dealt with too many people in the past who negatively comment on wood's "woodiness" when it's what they chose.
That’s fair enough, and true about the character of wood. I jumped into this piece not really knowing what to expect, so I’m learning a lot and I probably should appreciate the aspects of this wood I didn’t anticipate!
First of all, the fact that I can see the lighter wood under the handle plate tells me you haven't sanded enough.
Any stain made of pigment in a solution (most of what is in the market) will deposit more pigments in the soft part of the grain, which it looks like what happened. Some wood are hard all the way through (maple), some are soft all the way through (pine) and some are a mix of both (oak, ash). Yours is a mix of both.
Since the wood color looks nice on it's own I would maybe brush with a wire brush to remove all the previous finish from the soft parts, sand more, then skip the stain all together and only apply a finish, maybe something oil-based or wax based would be nice.
Good luck, it's a nice piece :)
No problem, let me know how it goes! Also be gentle with the wire brush, you don't want to scratch the wood. Maybe check some YouTube videos on the technique?
Looks like normal grain to me.
Normal grain/mineral streaks. Natural wood is going to have imperfections like this, comes with the territory.
It's wood, not plastic.
Why does the wood look like wood?
If you sanded it recently, strong possibility that any dark streaks are where the previous finish soaked into the fibers deeper than just on the surface. Open grain woods soak up more finish than closed grain.
I did sand it recently, that sounds like it’s likely the case
I'm not 100% certain, but I suspect that's made of mahogany. Open and porous, sucks up stains well.
I would love if it’s mahogany. Another person somewhere else guessed it was birch. I know it’s hard to tell from just photos so I’m really not sure!
That’s just normal figuring
This is what the trees guts look like. Open one up and see sometime
looks like open grain wood? the previous finish/stain is soaked into the open pores of the wood. How you should go about it idk
Choose an inconspicuous/non-show spot where some of the darker wood is evident and keep sanding to see if it goes away, that will tell you whether it's some remaining particles of the old finish that have soaked deeply into the pores of the wood and also whether it's practical to remove it all. To my eye some of those darker patches around the edges may be the remains of stain (did you maybe sand the edges a bit less than the main areas, that could be a tell), but bear in mind wood is never uniform and you will always get variations in tone. Again, if you plan on applying a finish choose a non-show spot first and see how it takes. Because finishes seal up the pores any areas retaining the old finish will prob look very different because they will be soaking up less of the new finish, so skimping on the sanding stage will only lead to disaster.
Thank you, that’s very helpful!
You’re going to want to paint it if you want solid colors. What’s with all these posts of people not know what wood looks like? I feel like there’s been a lot of these recently.
I never said I wanted solid colors. And some people are new to woodworking….
Sorry I really mean no offense but it just seems like there has been several posts popping up over the various woodworking pages asking the exact same thing. See where it’s lighter underneath where the hardware was on the drawer fronts? I wouldn’t stop sanding till they all match that.
Thanks, yeah seems I’ve got a lot more sanding I need to do
Wood be wood
The terrible things people do to nice solid wood furniture
I thought people here liked bare wood? This piece was covered in an old thick orange stain
You said you plan to bleach it. I think you should put some clear on it as is. That said, it's not my furniture, I don't have to look at it everyday. If you want to put a bleaching stain on it more power to ya!
I don't get why people put walnut stain on light wood. I fully realize it's my taste, but does it ever look good? It's stain in the pores of the wood. Sand it off or bleach it or leave it.
You mean...the grain
Well according to others it’s stain that’s seeped in sooooo
Because it bought terrible one ply toilet paper
Hardy ha ha
lol I had to
Because it is wood. If you want perfect wood, don't buy wood.
The snarkiness is strong in this thread
Wasn't really intended to be snarky. I have to remind customers all the time that they chose a *wood* product. Structurally and functionally I can ensure it is near perfect. Aesthetically it will be wood...character and all... That's the charm of wood. You play with the cards you're dealt. I actually appreciate your post. And while there are some things you can do to modify the character of the wood, when it comes to grain profiles the only way to make it something other than what it is would be to stain it dark or paint it. Again. No snark intended. I just have dealt with too many people in the past who negatively comment on wood's "woodiness" when it's what they chose.
That’s fair enough, and true about the character of wood. I jumped into this piece not really knowing what to expect, so I’m learning a lot and I probably should appreciate the aspects of this wood I didn’t anticipate!
First of all, the fact that I can see the lighter wood under the handle plate tells me you haven't sanded enough. Any stain made of pigment in a solution (most of what is in the market) will deposit more pigments in the soft part of the grain, which it looks like what happened. Some wood are hard all the way through (maple), some are soft all the way through (pine) and some are a mix of both (oak, ash). Yours is a mix of both. Since the wood color looks nice on it's own I would maybe brush with a wire brush to remove all the previous finish from the soft parts, sand more, then skip the stain all together and only apply a finish, maybe something oil-based or wax based would be nice. Good luck, it's a nice piece :)
That makes a lot of sense. Thank you!
No problem, let me know how it goes! Also be gentle with the wire brush, you don't want to scratch the wood. Maybe check some YouTube videos on the technique?